Movie chronicling final hours of Oscar Grant’s life chosen for Sundance Film Festival

The saga of the shooting of Oscar Grant lives on, and come January, moviegoers will be able to watch the drama unfold on screen at the annual Sundance Film Festival in Utah. “Fruitvale,” which stars a bevy of Hollywood heavyweights including Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, details Grant’s final hours before he was shot and killed by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle on New Year’s Eve 2009.

On Wednesday, Sundance Institute announced films in competition for dramatic and documentary prizes at the 2013 festival — and “Fruitvale” was listed in the dramatic category. “Fruitvale” will go up against films featuring stars such as Elizabeth Olsen, Rooney Mara, Daniel Radcliffe and Casey Affleck.

Grant was shot once in the back by Mehserle, who said he had intended to use his Taser on the 22-year-old Grant. Grant, who was unarmed, died the following morning at Highland Hospital in Oakland. Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2010 and sentenced to two years in prison, but was paroled after 11 months.

The Sundance Film Festival starts on Jan. 17, 2013. To see the full lineup of films visit Sundance.org.